Yesterday, Law 21,100 entered into force, which prohibits the free delivery of plastic bags in retail and supermarkets, but experts and producers accuse little clarity regarding what is allowed and what is not.In the Ministry of the Environment they say that each municipality will be in charge of interpreting the law and sanctioning it accordingly, while the Association of Reusable Bags demands to unify the criteria for the entire country."Welcome to change: no more plastics," says the Minister of the Environment, Carolina Schmidt, over and over again, and smiles when she delivers a bag of goods and changes it for plastic bags to passers-by who circulate along the now multi-colored promenade. Flag.She is accompanied by the mayor of Santiago, Felipe Alessandri, who also participates in the exchange with the pedestrians.The scene occurred on Friday, in the presentation of the law "Bye plastic bags", which began to govern throughout the country since yesterday: large businesses -retail, supermarkets and even minimarkets such as those at service stations- do not they will be able to deliver more plastic bags to their customers.Small and medium-sized companies, meanwhile, will be able to continue delivering a maximum of two plastic bags per sale until August 2020, when the regulations require all commercial establishments to eliminate them, without exception.Although Minister Schmidt specified on Friday that the bags whose delivery is prohibited are "single-use plastic bags", Law 21,100 speaks in general of "plastic shopping bags".The plastic bag, according to the document, is one that "contains as a fundamental component a polymer that is produced from oil" and that "is delivered by a commercial establishment for the transport of merchandise or, in the case of purchases made by electronic means, bag for the transport of merchandise that is delivered to the final consumer”.According to Eliana Moreno, spokeswoman for the Association of Reusable Bags, the law is "confusing" in its wording.The group understands that the regulations apply to all plastic bags, including reusable TNT (non-woven fabric) and laminated polypropylene (PP) bags, which are now widely sold in retail and supermarkets.Based on this doubt, the association requested the Comptroller's Office -on October 8, 2018- to issue an opinion to unify a country criterion around the law.The comptroller body has not yet ruled.“We understand that the law has gone against all plastic without discriminating whether it is disposable or reusable.It would be very serious because it would go against what is happening around the world, where these bags of TNT are allowed,” says Moreno.“Now bags are made of traditional TNT and others of vegetable TNT, but it is very difficult for a municipal inspector who is not an expert in bags to identify when they have a polymer derived from petroleum and when they do not, because the labeling law does not require identify the material.Asked about it, Minister Schmidt clarified that the sale of plastic bags of TNT and laminated polypropylene is allowed.Not so your free delivery.“The law stipulates that all bags of oil origin, but logically for citizens it is difficult to distinguish between them.What they can do is take these bags to the supermarket to carry their merchandise.What is prohibited is its free delivery, but TNT and laminated PP bags can be sold”, said the head of the Environment.Present at the launch activity, Mayor Felipe Alessandri expressly called on companies to remove the bags of TNT and laminated PP that they have for sale next to the boxes.“Indeed we want them to start withdrawing them.It is a topic to discuss.At least TNT bags are now allowed, but the spirit of the law is to eliminate all single-use plastic bags.That the Reusable Bag Association says it doesn't encourage the use of reusable bags?Well, they are going to resist because they are an interest group, but the planet is one.Our mission is to take care of the planet, since previous generations did not have it as a main focus, "says the community chief of Santiago.The supervision of the law, by the way, will be borne by the municipalities themselves.“We have a hundred municipal inspectors who will be permanently trained to distinguish one bag from another.The inspectors, of course, will go with their identification to the retailer, but it is also important that citizens help us in the complaints, through a photo with their cell phone, "adds Alessandri.Eliana Moreno, however, points out that the inspectors do not have the skills to distinguish between one material and another.“Now bags are made of traditional TNT and others of vegetable TNT, but it is very difficult for a municipal inspector who is not an expert in bags to identify when they have a polymer derived from petroleum and when they do not, because the labeling law does not require identify the material.Another important point is what will happen to the packers who usually help customers to put the products in the plastic bags.On this particular, Alessandri acknowledged that “there is indeed going to be a change”, but at the same time “they themselves help to pack boxes, to pack reusable bags, so their assistance is always required.That job will not go away.”Those who break the law risk a fine "of up to five monthly tax units (almost 250 thousand pesos) for each plastic shopping bag delivered," cites an extract of Law 21,100.The local police court will be in charge of applying the corresponding sanction."The important thing is that the fine for infraction of the law goes directly to the municipal benefit," clarifies the highest authority in Santiago.Finally, they indicate from the Ministry of the Environment, the control will depend on the municipality and the application of the local police judge law, and how he interprets it.This lack of definition worries Eliana Moreno.“For anything, as an association, we instruct our retail clients about the regulations.They will see if they withdraw their TNT or laminated PP bags from the market.The decision is in the hands of each client”, says Moreno, who is also the commercial manager of Unibag, a company that sells recyclable and reusable bags.The entry into force of the law, accuses the group's spokeswoman, “promotes the use of disposable paper.A disposable plastic bag would be exchanged for another disposable paper.It's more garbage.Paper weighs more because it is bulkier.We promote the change of habit towards reuse, because there is no better garbage than the one that is not generated”.According to the interpretation of the association, in fact, the permitted bags would be those made with polymers not derived from petroleum.They cite as an example the disposable paper bags without plastic laminate and the disposable ones made from vegetable and chemical materials, but "these are not reusable".The ones that the entity does consider that would be allowed, and that would also be reusable, are "vegetable TNT made from polylactic acid (derived from corn starch), one hundred percent cotton bags and jute bags (commonly known as as "burlap").In the opinion of the company TriCiclos, a recycling company that has just won the most important award in the world in circular economy ("The Circulars 2019"), the law is "rare in its preparation" because "reuse is a key concept" .The great complexity with the issue of TNT and laminated PP, in this sense, is that "they are designed to be used many times", but "today they do not have a completely closed flow, if it breaks, I have nowhere to take it ”, says Tomás García, commercial manager of TriCiclos.“If it is possible to analyze the flow of TNT, there would be no problem that these bags can be allowed.The other options are cotton, which are compostable, but the manufacturing costs are high.There are plastic bags that have no reason to be, like the ones they give you at the pharmacy, that's for sure.There is a challenge in generating the habit”“If it is possible to analyze the flow of TNT, there would be no problem that these bags can be allowed.The other options are cotton, which are compostable, but the manufacturing costs are high.There are plastic bags that have no reason to be, like the ones they give you at the pharmacy, that's for sure.There is a challenge in generating the habit,” adds García.ECO 3R has 12 years of experience in the sale of 100% cotton cloth bags.They oppose the sale of reusable plastic bags of TNT or laminated PP, since they interpret that the law prohibits the delivery of these products, but not "that they sell them for 20 pesos next to the box," says María Luisa Videla, one of the owners of ECO 3R.“12 years ago sales volumes were lower.Now the profile has changed and it has become much more widespread in the last four years”, says Videla, whose company does not publicly report the specific profits they have obtained in the last period.Videla defends the business opportunity provided by the law.“Our cotton bags are not just any garment.They can be reused for 10 or 12 years in the broad sense of the word.You won't have to buy a new one, they won't break, and if they break they can be repaired and won't end up in the trash,” she emphasizes.They have several clients from department stores, advertising agencies and emerging designers, but for seven years they have been selling individually at their headquarters at Calle Julio Prado 2030, Ñuñoa.They are shopping bags with a silk-screen print in different sizes and names of trees and flowers, and their value starts at $1,500.They also exhibit in their catalog cotton bags for gifts, wines and laundry."Supermarkets are targeting the TNT bag more," adds María Luisa Videla.Another alternative is offered by Promoverde.This company sells cloth, paper, reusable plastic and jute bags in its catalog, but it stopped manufacturing those made from corn starch.“These cornstarch bags are biodegradable only under certain conditions.If you leave it in the sea, it will continue in the sea and generate the same pollution as a plastic bag.We made the decision not to make this product anymore”, closes the administrator of Promoverde, Darwin Goitiandía."To make a conscious purchase, people must be informed," said the executive director of Fundación Tremendas, Rocío Sancha,... read moreThe company Aceros AZA has just created the Transformation and Innovation department, whose manager, Juan Andrés Barrientos, has... read moreA collaborative project between the Ministry of the Environment, Fundación Chile and IPChile is disseminating essential aspects for... read moreThe installation of solar thermopanels for hot water allowed the family businesses of eight women from Renca to... read more"In Chile we are on the right path," said the regional director of the NGO Plastic Oceans, Mark Minnebbo, in... read more